Merganser, yes! Wood ducks here!

The hooded merganser is laying in the south nest. There were 3 eggs in there yesterday and she was back this morning and undoubtedly added another. Each egg-laying visit typically lasts less than an hour.

There were 10 wood ducks in the yard today! More than we’ve seen in recent years; last year there were only a couple of pairs. Both the east and west nests have now had a few quick (e.g. 5 minute) “apartment hunting” visits.

There’s no reason yet to stream the cameras live (unless you enjoy tuning in on some wood shavings); I’m guessing I’ll start streaming in a couple of weeks.

Do you want yet another really exciting picture of duck eggs? Of course you do! Below are the merganser eggs in the south nest yesterday after I moved the shavings aside. Below that are three pictures of the ducks in the yard today. You’ll see 8 of them. Two more were out of the photos, off to the right.

8 wood ducks. The west nest box is on the right. The last picture below explains the black blur.
4 pairs of wood ducks, 2 are in the creek
The south nest box is barely visible through the branches. The black blur down the center is one of many cords hanging down just outside the window that this picture was taken through. The cords prevent song birds from flying into the glass – it works! Here is a reference.

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